Milford’s Forge Gallery to close after four years

When artist Philip Rachelson concludes his “Brooklyn to Shohola” exhibit Saturday at the Forge Gallery in Milford, he will also be closing the gallery after four years there.

He moved the Forge from its Water Street location to Broad Street a year ago, hoping for more foot traffic in the center of town, but gallery sales never paid the rent.

“I’ve been thinking about closing for two months,” Rachelson said. “I’ve had a wonderful time with the Forge both places, but I don’t want to support a gallery where the public isn’t buying. I understand. The economy’s bad. It was a good experience, successful in many ways. Good artists without a venue to show their art got exposure. Now I’ll focus on painting and sculpture.”

Rachelson frequently had exhibits of work by regional artists and artists from the New York City area, where he has many friends and contacts. He grew up in Coney Island and studied art at City College.

He likened his experience with the Forge to that of Robert Levine and David Greenbaum with their BlueStone Gallery, which closed in Milford around the time the Forge opened.Levine said people treated the BlueStone like a museum rather than a gallery; they looked, but infrequently bought.

As Rachelson closes the gallery, he also leaves the place where he has worked on and displayed his own painting and sculptures. So he has been contacting galleries in New York, Boston, and regionally, beyond Milford, looking for places to show his work.

“I also plan to expand my presence online,” he said. “There are several artists’ websites that are low-cost or free, where people who buy art look. And I’ll post on Facebook and my own website.”

Meanwhile, in the Forge’s last days, his exhibit is a “satellite show” of pieces related to those in his recent “From Brooklyn to Shohola” exhibit at Berkeley College in Brooklyn.

They range from a painting inspired by living in a windowless New York loft to multi-media pieces influenced by Van Gogh, Gaugin, and wildlife seen in Shohola. Some contain toy animals, feathered ping-pong balls and bathing elephants.

“The purpose of art is to make you look at things differently, outside their normal pattern,” Rachelson said.

The Forge Gallery, 310 Broad St., Milford, Pa., will be open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m Saturday, with a closing party from 6-8 p.m.